Zero to Accessible

Conversations about accessibility

Each newsletter features a conversation: a casual group chat about one accessibility topic. The people in it are a mix of experts, amateurs, developers, designers, users, advocates, and anyone with pertinent experience and opinions.

You can apply to be part of an upcoming conversation. Pick a topic below and email [email protected] with the conversation you want to join and a brief description of what you'd bring to the table. The Apply buttons open your email app with that already filled in.

Upcoming topics

• Accessibility and the iPhone Duo

  Has anything changed? What accessibility concerns should we have on such a new device?

  Apply to join: Accessibility and the iPhone Duo

• Accessibility and AI

  Anything and everything about AI and accessibility: skills, agents, tools, what it does well, and what it still cannot do for us.

  Apply to join: Accessibility and AI

Have an idea, or know someone?

Suggest a topic for a future conversation, or nominate someone you think should be in one. Each button opens your email app with a short template to fill in.

Apps doing accessibility well

Apps on Apple platforms that treat accessibility as part of the product, not an afterthought. Each one will link to the App Store.

• Xarra

  Turns articles, PDFs, EPUBs, and pasted text into audio with synchronized highlighting. Works with VoiceOver, Voice Control, Switch Control, and Full Keyboard Access, and supports Dynamic Type and reading fonts like OpenDyslexic and Atkinson Hyperlegible.

  : Xarra
• Art of Fauna

  A relaxing puzzle game about the animal world, built to work for people with cognitive disabilities and people who are visually impaired. Includes VoiceOver support, simplified language, color themes, and a setting to turn off animals you're afraid of.

  : Art of Fauna
• Art of Flora

  A relaxing puzzle game about flowers and plants, with picture and text puzzle modes. Includes easier-to-read text, fonts designed for readers with dyslexia, color themes, and support for VoiceOver, Voice Control, and Switch Control.

  : Art of Flora
• PocketShelf

  A reading tracker that summarizes where you left off from your notes, with recaps in plain language. Supports VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, accessible fonts, and Reduced Motion.

  : PocketShelf
• Please Don't Rain

  A weather app that tracks the forecast for a place and day you choose, like an upcoming event. Supports VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, and Audio Graphs, and was a nominee for the 2023 AppleVis Golden Apple awards.

  : Please Don't Rain
• What's My Set

  A workout set counter with rest and interval timers for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. Includes VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, and audio cues and haptics, so you can follow along without looking at the screen.

  : What's My Set
• Accessibility Techniques

  By Paul J. Adam. A reference for building accessible SwiftUI apps, with 89 techniques that each show a good and a bad example you can test with VoiceOver. Each technique maps to the WCAG 2.2 success criteria it satisfies.

  : Accessibility Techniques
• Contrast Tester

  By Paul J. Adam. Checks color pairs against WCAG 2.2, with pass or fail results for normal and large text, and helps find accessible pairings from a brand color. Supports VoiceOver, Voice Control, and larger text.

  : Contrast Tester
• Email Me

  Sends text notes, transcribed audio notes, images, and clipboard content to your own email in one tap. Supports VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, Reduced Motion, and sound and haptic feedback.

  : Email Me
• Olean

  A free blood pressure log you can fill in with two on-screen rulers, a photo of your monitor, or hands-free with Siri, so there's nothing to type. Shows blood pressure stages as text, not just color, and supports VoiceOver, larger text, and Reduced Motion.

  : Olean
• Modus

  A manual camera with RAW and ProRAW capture. Every animation follows Reduce Motion, glass panels turn opaque with Reduce Transparency, and states like Auto, Manual, or locked always carry a shape or label, not just color. Full VoiceOver and Voice Control support is in progress.

  : Modus
• LOSER - A Word Game

  A word puzzle game with 5, 6, and 7-letter puzzles and four modes. Uses shapes as well as color to show key information, and includes three themes for specific types of color vision deficiency, an OpenDyslexic font option, Dynamic Type, and Reduced Motion support.

  : LOSER - A Word Game
• Auralog

  A migraine and headache tracker that lets you start a record with one tap during an attack and add the details later. Works with Siri and Apple Watch, and supports VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, and Reduced Motion.

  : Auralog
• Pedometer++

  Counts your steps and tracks walks, runs, and hikes on iPhone and Apple Watch. Supports VoiceOver, Voice Control, and larger text, and uses shapes or text in addition to color.

  : Pedometer++

Know an app that belongs here? Yours counts too. Nominated apps may be featured on this page and in the next newsletter. The button opens your email app with a short template.

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People to follow in accessibility

People working on accessibility for Apple platforms who really care about it. If you want to connect or ask a question, I'm sure they'd be glad to help.

• Robin Kanatzar

  iOS developer, writes and speaks about accessibility, and runs this newsletter.

• Rob Whitaker

  Apple platforms engineer and accessibility specialist, runs the blog Mobile A11y, and wrote the book Developing Inclusive Mobile Apps.

• Dani Devesa Derksen-Staats

  Writes Accessibility up to 11, a blog of practical tips and articles for building accessible iOS apps, and created the #365DaysIOSAccessibility project.

• Klemens Strasser

  Independent app developer behind Art of Fauna, Art of Flora, and PocketShelf. Apple Design Award student winner and three-time finalist.

• Bas Broek

  Builds apps and tooling for Apple platforms, and writes about accessibility on his blog, from getting started with VoiceOver and Dynamic Type to Assistive Access.

• Chris Wu

  Indie developer making apps for Apple products since 2017, including Please Don't Rain and What's My Set, and writes about accessibility on his site.

• Feli Bernutz

  iOS developer from Nuremberg, Germany, who builds apps with user experience and accessibility in mind.

• Paul J. Adam

  Web and mobile accessibility consultant, organizer of the Austin Accessibility Meetup, and developer of iOS SwiftUI Accessibility Techniques, an open-source project with live good and bad examples you can test with VoiceOver. Also makes apps for the App Store, including Accessibility Techniques and Contrast Tester.

• Mark Steadman

  Accessibility leader and public speaker focused on scaling accessibility across large organizations and product teams. Writes about mobile, web, and automation, and has spoken at CSUN and axe-con.

• Bruno Scheele

  Designs and builds accessible apps, helps mobile teams with accessibility, and writes about iOS accessibility on the Binary Adventures blog, from VoiceOver audits to the risks of customizing accessibility.

• Fanny Demey

  Android and mobile accessibility expert and Google Developer Expert for Android. Offers training on mobile accessibility for iOS and Android, gives talks on topics from screen reader UX to cognitive accessibility, and volunteered as an Android engineer on the Soundscape app.

• Taylor Arndt

  Blind iOS developer who makes accessibility tools and talks about them. Works at Techopolis, an accessibility-led technology company, and writes about AI and accessibility on Substack.

• Joshua J. Root

  Blind Apple platforms developer and accessibility professional, currently working on a video series about SwiftUI accessibility.

Know someone who belongs here? Nominate them, or nominate yourself. The only requirement is that you work with accessibility and really care. Both buttons open your email app with a short template.

Accessibility testers

People you can pay to test your app for accessibility. They use assistive technology in their day-to-day lives, so they find what a checklist can't.

Contact them directly for all the details: what you want tested, how they work, and how much they ask to be paid for it. I only list them here.

No testers listed yet. Know someone, or do this work yourself? Use the buttons below; both open your email app with a short template.

Accessibility tooling

Tools that help you find and fix accessibility issues while you build.

• RocketSim

  An Xcode Simulator toolkit with an accessibility audit, a VoiceOver Navigator that shows reading order without a physical device, and quick toggles for Dynamic Type, contrast, reduced motion, and color blindness simulation.

Know a tool that belongs here? Yours counts too. The button opens your email app with a short template.

Accessibility skills

Skills teach AI coding agents how to do something well. These help them build more accessible apps for Apple platforms.

• iOS Accessibility Agent Skill

  By Dani Devesa Derksen-Staats. Guidance on VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Voice Control, Switch Control, and Full Keyboard Access in UIKit and SwiftUI, plus how to test them.

• Swift Accessibility Skill

  By Pasquale Vittoriosi. Writes and audits accessible code across SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit, and recommends answers for the App Store's Accessibility Nutrition Labels.

• Apple Accessibility Skills

  By Roberto Gómez Muñoz. Three audit skills, one each for SwiftUI, UIKit, and AppKit, that check VoiceOver, Voice Control, Dynamic Type, contrast, touch targets, and more.

Know an accessibility skill that belongs here? Yours counts too. The button opens your email app with a short template.

Accessibility books

Books on building accessible apps, written by people from the list above.

• Developing Inclusive Mobile Apps

  By Rob Whitaker. Building accessible apps for iOS and Android. The second edition covers iOS 26, Android 16, SwiftUI, Jetpack Compose, and WCAG 2.2. The first edition is on Amazon.fr and Springer.

• Developing Accessible iOS Apps

  By Dani Devesa Derksen-Staats. How to support VoiceOver, Dynamic Type, Smart Invert, and more, for iOS developers and anyone else on a mobile team who works with accessibility.

Know a book that belongs here? Yours counts too. The button opens your email app with a short template.

Ask an accessibility question, anonymously

Something you've always wondered but never wanted to ask with your name on it? Send it through the form below. Questions may be answered in a future newsletter.

The anonymous option is a Google Form that opens in a new tab, but I'm not collecting your email address. If you don't mind me knowing who's asking, or you'd like a reply, email me instead.

Other newsletters to follow and support

Accessibility is bigger than one newsletter. These are worth your inbox too.

• Inclusive Android Apps

  A monthly newsletter about making Android apps more inclusive: accessibility, language and culture, age, privacy and safety for marginalized users, and more.

• Accessibility Weekly

  A weekly newsletter that helps you bring accessibility into your everyday work, across the whole web.